Town Clerk Marlene Searle participates in the cornerstone ceremony as Town Attorney Bo Nerlin watches.

Sherry Wilkening joins in the Masonic cornerstone ceremony to town hall on May 3, 2018.

Trustee James Roberts participates in the Masonic ceremony on May 3, 2018 at town hall.

Masons at Town Hall

Greg Allen, Art Wolverton and Roy Garner, officers of Mount Lamborn Masonic Lodge in Hotchkiss, announced that on Thursday, May 3, at 5 p.m, with the assistance of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Colorado, a cornerstone was dedicated at the Hotchkiss Town Hall and Senior Citizens Center in Hotchkiss. This event was open to the public and sponsored by Mount Lamborn Lodge #102, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. The Hotchkiss Town Hall is located at 276 West Main Street.

A time capsule will be installed behind the cornerstone. The capsule contains a history of the Town of Hotchkiss including photographs of town hall being built and a history of the Masonic Lodge, as well as items provided by local schools, restaurants, the fire district, clerk’s office, town council, marshal’s office and other organizations. It is the custom to seal the time capsule for 100 years.

George Washington is depicted laying the cornerstone at the U.S. Capitol building in 1793.

The laying of cornerstones for public buildings has long been a standing traditional practice of Freemasons. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy examples of this was the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building in 1793 by George Washington who officiated as master. A number of local buildings have Masonic cornerstones including the Hotchkiss Fire Station, Hotchkiss K-8 School, Hotchkiss High School, the Masonic Hall on Hotchkiss Avenue and the West Elk Clinic.

Freemasonry arrived in Colorado with early miners. The Masonic Lodge in Hotchkiss was established in 1897. The cornerstone of the Colorado State Capitol building was laid by the Freemasons in 1890 and rededicated in 1990. Today in Colorado, there are about 7,000 Freemasons who belong to one of the 121 lodges scattered throughout the state. The Masonic Fraternity is worldwide. In the United States alone there are about 3.4 million Freemasons.

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